It has been one of the most bizarre and inactive winters in baseball history. The offseason got off to a slow start as organizations waited for Japanese free agent Shohei Ohtani to make his free agent choice; then the focus turned to the Marlins and their all-out fire sale. Once those decisions were made, most thought the big free agent signings would follow. Instead, we head into spring training with most of the game’s top free agents—Jake Arrieta, Greg Holland, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and J.D. Martinez—without jobs.

A number of teams have made moves that have made them better, like the Cardinals’ trade for outfielder Marcel Ozuna or the Mets’ signings of free agents Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier. And the Rockies and Rangers have done a good job of adding depth to their pitching staffs. But so far, only seven teams have improved themselves truly significantly from the end of last season.

With so many free agents still looking for jobs and so many...

SALE: Free trial and 30% off

Try The Athletic free for a week to get access to this article and more smart, in-depth coverage. Read and support quality journalism with this limited-time offer.